In the prior art, it is well known to electroplate objects, including panels, plates that will be used as printed circuit boards, and various workpieces in general, by immersion techniques, in tanks of the batch type. Where time considerations and continuity of production are not critical, such techniques are highly desirable.
It is also known to electroplate individual articles by dragging them through a solution of electrolyte, generally by means of manually clamping the articles from above, by means of tabs, or plate ends that extend up out of the electrolyte solution. This offers the disadvantages of necessary manual activity, and additionally the protruding tabs do not become electroplated.
Other techniques have been developed for continuous electroplating, for example, of elongated, substantially continuous sheets of material, where problems of making and breaking electrical connection with the material to be electroplated, would not occur. Such techniques do not really address the problem of continuously electroplating in an electrolyte bath, of individual or discrete planar workpieces, of automatic feeding without manual connection and disconnection, and of good electrical and mechanical connection as the workpieces are delivered through the bath.